


Helplessness

by Cosmic_Firestorm, Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bonding, Canon Compliant, Demonic Possession, Doctor/Patient, Existential Angst, Explanations, Fake Character Death, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Illustrated, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, Promises, Survivor Guilt, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12006693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_Firestorm/pseuds/Cosmic_Firestorm, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: Jack learns that the events of KILL JA̶CKSEPTICEYE | Bio IN̵̛c RedempT̨I̶̢on took a greater toll on his good doctor than he had expected.





	Helplessness

Jack leaned back in his chair, a familiar satisfaction and a kind of relief welling in his chest. He had just uploaded “Is Jack Really Dead?” as a follow-up to “KILL JACKSEPTICEYE” and he knew his fans would be glad to see him safe and sound. Most of them took it in good, creepy fun, but there were some who thought Anti antics had a darker meaning—the end of his channel or something even more drastic, more dramatic.

Shutting his computer down for the night, he rose, considering whether or not he should watch a movie before bed—it was technically morning already and sleep was for the weak—but he had hardly taken two steps away from the booth before the door burst open to reveal a blur of white. Jack had no time to form any kind of curse or question before Schneeplestein had seized his shoulders in an arresting grip. For a few beats, the doctor simply stared at him, his lips moving soundlessly, and then his voice caught up.

“It—it is true. _Das untier_ , the monster—he did not get you,” he gasped, accent thick, latex gloves squeaking as he readjusted his hold, feeling up and down Jack’s shoulders as though searching for wholeness. “You—you are _well_ again, Jack.”

“Well, of course I am,” Jack protested, eyebrows furrowing in bewilderment. “You didn’t think I was actually—?” Schneep’s face, milky white on a good day, drained of color until it was completely ashen. His breath quickened and Jack hissed through his teeth, a new knot in his stomach already sponging away his satisfaction. “Okay, you did. Uhh…here.” Gingerly he pried Schneep’s hands off his shoulders and pushed him into the nearby chair, leaning against the wall so Schneep could keep him in his line of sight. “Are you—you gonna be okay, Schneep, now that you know I am?”

“I thought you _gone_ , Jack,” Schneep said hollowly, as though he wasn’t listening, looking at him as if he wasn’t there. “I watched you—I had your life in _mein_ hands and nothing I did was helping… _nothing_. I failed when most important to succeed. The monster…”

_There was s̩͇̪͔̃ͭ̂tatic buzzing somewhere in the recesses of his mind, raising the hairs on his neck and arms, and an intense cold, so much sharper than any of his surgical tools as it sliced its way through each vertebra of his spine: up and down, up and down. Sweat clung to his hair and lashes and he felt the floor swerving out from under him, but he didn't have anything to grasp for support._

_His chest hurt, his throat hurt, and his head, ugh, his head—His steady hands quivered. His vision doubled and tripled, spotted with green and black—_

_What had his friend ever done to deserve this? What had he?_

_He knew exactly who was coming—he had to fight—save—protect—_

_Anytime he thought the name, he heard that terrifying, shrieking laughter, felt those blood-wet hands scraping at him, tearing his coat, dragging him back, reaching for Jack—_

_Save—protect—so cold, wracking cold—_

_He heard the raspy voice tickling his ear:_

_“Once one goes down, they all go down…͍̮̠̳ͥ͛́̽͛_

_Y̦̥͉͆ou’re next. They’re next.̜̖͉̜̐ͥ̌̑ͨ̄ͪ̈_

_The others follow me.̜̖͉̜̐ͥ̌̑ͨ̄ͪ̈_

_Y̦̥͉͆ou know you can’t save him. Only t͍̞̭͙̣͔̒ͯ͗hey can.̜̖͉̜̐ͥ̌̑ͨ̄ͪ̈_

_G͇̞̔̈́iving up yet?͕̤͈̥̪̥̝̿̀̽_

_Y̦̥͉͆ou can’t save him, you can’t even slow me down, you’re weak, he’s m̳͛̓̂ͭ͊ͩi͔̬͗͛̽ͩ̔̅̀̔n̺̣̮̙͓̫̿ͧë̱͚̻̺͉̬̬̱́̓́̎̒̆, they’re all mine, give in, give up, you’re worthlessweaknesshelplesshopeless—_

 

 

 

“Hey!” Jack almost snapped, breaking through the visions. For the first time that he could remember, Schneep recoiled from his friend’s outstretched hand, blinking hard, and Jack’s face softened in dismay. “Oh…aww, no, you don’t have to—”

“Why can’t we block him out?” Schneep whispered hoarsely, blinking again to rid himself of the tears that Jack hated to see. They only spilled over. “He corrupts us, Jack, all of us, in everything. I see the fans…their—their _tributes_ to the monster!” A panicked burst of laughter shot out before he could stop it and he gripped the arms of the chair, leaning his head back in deeply rooted agony. “I see them praise him! I even see them saying he is _cool_ or—or sexy! How does he demand control this way?! The rest of us…Chase…Jackieboy…the Magnificent…We despise him. But we cannot outcast the demon away. We are so _weak_ …”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no one ever said you were weak!” Jack exclaimed in concern, finally planting a hand on Schneep’s shoulder without being dodged.

“ _He_ did.”

With those two words, all of Jack’s arguments seemed to shut down. Schneep blinked blurrily up at him, chest and throat aching—as they always seemed to when that monstrous creature was involved. For a few moments, the only movement in the room was that of Jack’s fingers, carefully flexing against the doctor’s shoulder as he weighed his options.

“Nothing he says is true,” he announced at last, his words firm and measured. “Anti is a glitch, which means he’s something that doesn’t belong, something wrong. An’ you’re wrong too; Anti’s only able to corrupt you to a degree. _I’m_ the one he corrupts. He’s a part of me, just as much as you’re a part of me. I dunno, maybe that means I’m the weak one.” An ironic half-smile quirked his lips, just for a second. “I’m the one who got killed, after all.”

“No, n-no, no, Jack, you died because I could not save! I could not fix!”

“I died for a little while because Anti killed me. I _let_ him,” Jack argued, frustrated. How could he make him understand? “It’s the only way to keep him reined in! Throw him a victory once in a while, throw him a bone, an’ he’ll be too busy mocking us to think about goin’ any further. Then, once he gets bored of partying, he’ll go back to plannin’ his ultimate conquest an’ stay under the surface. It’s the only way I know how to fight him. I guess I just…didn’t think of what he might do to you. I should have.”

“There is no need, my friend. I might have given my own life, if I could, but t-the fans have…thought more than enough about it for both of us,” Schneep protested weakly, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his eyes and sniffling lightly. “I’ve seen many imaginings of what he could do to me if I try to fight him.”

 _Worthlessweaknesshelplesshopeless_ —

Swearing tersely under his breath, Jack glanced around the room, trying to think. Predictably his eyes fell to his computer. Struck with an inkling that he dearly hoped would work, he gently pushed Schneep and the chair aside and coaxed the overheated screen back online, accessing his latest video, “Is Jack Really Dead?” Wordlessly he handed Schneep the headphones, gesturing with his free hand for him to watch.

He studied his alter ego as he watched the video, glassy blue eyes reflecting the onscreen Jack’s as he explained about purpose, about what was supposed to be fun, about those who hated Anti as much as Schneep and the other Personas did—and those haters who simply took it out on Jack instead of the one responsible. Schneep’s eyes got brighter and brighter until he clenched them shut completely, tossing the headphones down with a thump and hiding his face.

Jack wasn’t sure what that reaction meant, so he returned his hand to its previous placement. “Sooner or later…” he began quietly, “I don’t know when…but sooner or later, Anti’s going to get what’s comin’ to him. I’m going to make sure of it. He can’t kill me without killin’ himself, as much as he might want to.”

“O-Once one goes down, they all go d-down,” Schneep sobbed softly, his voice muffled behind his fingers. “Which means I cannot save you without saving that _glitch_.”

Glancing back at the screen as his video ended, patting his friend's back, Jack pressed his lips tightly together.

Ĝ̺̎̌̂͒̂l̟͙͔ḭ͍͓̭͈̲̉ͨ̔͂̐ͮͅt̺͈̒̿̽̿̓c̿h̫̞̓͋̈ͤ̐̆ͅe̺ͫͯͯ̂s̝̺̬ ͈̻̚cͪå͇̤̺̬̠̜̿̄͑ͮ̚nͬͫ̐ͮ̇͗͐'ͯ̀͆̽ͅt̘̠̩̮͒̓͒ͣͨ̍̏ ̠̤̠̰b͍̗̗̲̠̳͑̉̈́e̲̣͚̣̹̹̤͐̀͐ͭ͑̽ ̜͙̺̎̊͂͂s͌̏a̰ͯͣ̃ͣv̪̣͔̦̦ͧ̄e̠͙͖͎̽̑͒̚d̤̗̳̖͛ͣͫ̓̈́.̓̑

**Author's Note:**

> The art belongs to Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1); thank you so much for giving me permission to use it and thank you even more for your editing! ^^" You got Schneep's on-and-off broken English down pat, and the Zalgo placement... <3
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Poor Schneep needs love :/ Leave a comment if you'd like and tell me what you think; I'd love to hear from you! <3


End file.
